Bertrand Godin - Team Performance
Boy, what a day! I was paired to a female journalist from Toronto and we first had to get familiar with each other. She wasn't exactly a car enthusiast and I didn't know squat about her field of expertise. Anyhow, the fate of Team Performance was resting in our hands and we were not going to give up.
The various tests were anything but easy. We chose to take the required pictures early in the day, but finding a church with red doors proved quite a handful. To speed things up, I decided to drive to my native town on the South shore of Montreal. There, I would have an easier time using my knowledge to find the answers -- at least that's what I thought.
Later, we had to prepare a poutine (great, I used to work in a small restaurant serving hot dogs and fries) and finding three vibrating objects (no, not what you think: I came up with a sander and other domestic tools). Collecting coins, taking pictures, answering questions... I was really tired at the end of the day, especially since my partner did not feel confident in the streets of Montreal and let me drive most of the time.
Filled with nightmarish potholes, said streets were quite a load for the car's suspension. Yet, it proved up to the task, making downtown driving a fun experience.
All in all, we had a lot of ups and downs, but overall, this challenge was extremely positive and memorable.
Mathieu Lapointe - Team Style
On Thursday morning, the four teams took off at 8:30. My colleague for this rally event was Pascal Forget, a technology expert who knows quite a few things about Blackberrys and mobile communication devices. Naturally, he was in charge of entering our answers and sending them by e-mail, while I focused on driving the Vibe.
Earlier in the week, Bertrand Godin raised the bar pretty high with his two hilarious videos. But I have my pride, and I wouldn't want anyone to beat us. Other competitors, particularly my good friend Marc Bouchard, had better be ready because Pascal and I were in it for all the glory!
What a day! Our minds were running like crazy to find the right answers and items as fast as possible. Meanwhile, we had to work with this amazing piece of gadgetry called the Blackberry Pearl. We completed all the tests, except for one which we agreed to skip in order to save some precious time. One of the day's highlights was when we took the helm of Sedna IV, a famous schooner that recently came back from a mission in Antarctica.
What about the Vibe? Since we spent most of the day in the streets of Montreal, I can safely say that this car is very much at ease in the city. Visibility is good and the turning radius is short, making parallel parking maneuvers easier. Also, the interior is roomy and nicely appointed. As for driving dynamics, the 2009 Vibe managed to meet our expectations: it delivers decent handling and a smooth ride.
Boy, what a day! I was paired to a female journalist from Toronto and we first had to get familiar with each other. She wasn't exactly a car enthusiast and I didn't know squat about her field of expertise. Anyhow, the fate of Team Performance was resting in our hands and we were not going to give up.
The various tests were anything but easy. We chose to take the required pictures early in the day, but finding a church with red doors proved quite a handful. To speed things up, I decided to drive to my native town on the South shore of Montreal. There, I would have an easier time using my knowledge to find the answers -- at least that's what I thought.
Later, we had to prepare a poutine (great, I used to work in a small restaurant serving hot dogs and fries) and finding three vibrating objects (no, not what you think: I came up with a sander and other domestic tools). Collecting coins, taking pictures, answering questions... I was really tired at the end of the day, especially since my partner did not feel confident in the streets of Montreal and let me drive most of the time.
Filled with nightmarish potholes, said streets were quite a load for the car's suspension. Yet, it proved up to the task, making downtown driving a fun experience.
All in all, we had a lot of ups and downs, but overall, this challenge was extremely positive and memorable.
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Mathieu Lapointe - Team Style
On Thursday morning, the four teams took off at 8:30. My colleague for this rally event was Pascal Forget, a technology expert who knows quite a few things about Blackberrys and mobile communication devices. Naturally, he was in charge of entering our answers and sending them by e-mail, while I focused on driving the Vibe.
Earlier in the week, Bertrand Godin raised the bar pretty high with his two hilarious videos. But I have my pride, and I wouldn't want anyone to beat us. Other competitors, particularly my good friend Marc Bouchard, had better be ready because Pascal and I were in it for all the glory!
What a day! Our minds were running like crazy to find the right answers and items as fast as possible. Meanwhile, we had to work with this amazing piece of gadgetry called the Blackberry Pearl. We completed all the tests, except for one which we agreed to skip in order to save some precious time. One of the day's highlights was when we took the helm of Sedna IV, a famous schooner that recently came back from a mission in Antarctica.
What about the Vibe? Since we spent most of the day in the streets of Montreal, I can safely say that this car is very much at ease in the city. Visibility is good and the turning radius is short, making parallel parking maneuvers easier. Also, the interior is roomy and nicely appointed. As for driving dynamics, the 2009 Vibe managed to meet our expectations: it delivers decent handling and a smooth ride.